Major pathogenic Gramnegative organisms such as P. aeruginosa, Serratia species, E. coli, Enterobacter species which are isolated from the specimens in large medical centers are greatly resistant to the commonly used antibiotics. Gramnegative bacilli, which had been isolated in Yeungnam Uni rersity Hospital during the period from December 1992 to April 1993 and turned out to be resistant to the primary antibiotics susceptibility test for chloramphenicoi, ampicillin, eephaiothin,- geniamicitt, tetracyclin, amikin and tobramycin, were subjected to the secondary antibiotics susceptibility test for aztreonam, ceftazidime, ciprofloxacine, cefotaxime, cefamandole, piperacillin, ticarcillin and sulfamethoxazole trimethopime. Out of 315 tested organisms, 167 organisms (53%) were resistant to all secondary antibiotics in vitro. Antimicrobial activity of ceftazidime (37.1%), aztreonam (11. %), ciprofloxacine (7.9%) against Gram negative bacilli were slightly more active than other antibiotics tested, while cefamandole was not active to all the Gramnegative bacilli tested. According to the specimens, E. coli was the most frequently resistant organisms to the primary antibiotics from urine, A. baumanii, from respiratory system and wounds, and P. aeruginosa from various specimens. In summary, Gram negative bacilli resistant to the primarily applied antibiotics also were resistant to the secondary antibiotics. Rearrangement of the antibiotics disks for the antibiotic susceptibility test should be considered.
Amikacin ; Ampicillin ; Anti-Bacterial Agents* ; Aztreonam ; Cefamandole ; Cefotaxime ; Ceftazidime ; Ciprofloxacin ; Enterobacter ; Piperacillin ; Respiratory System ; Serratia ; Sulfamethoxazole ; Ticarcillin ; Tobramycin ; Wounds and Injuries

The present study was designed to evaluate the efficiency of total lactate dehydrogenase, total creatine kinase, LD1/LD2 ratio, CK-MB and newly developed troponin T in acute myocardial infarction. The level of troponin T was 0.010.02 pg/L in 34 healthy person, but the peak vaule of acute myocardial infarction ranged in 4.7-24.2 pg/L. Total lactate dehydrogenase was peaked in 1 to 3 days after chest pain and then progressively decreased, but LD1/LD2 ratio was persistently higher than 1.0 for 10 days in most patients. Total creatine kinase and CK-MB were peaked in 1-2 days, and normalized in 3-4 days, so they, were useful in early diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction, but not for the late stages of acute myocardiz l infarction. Troponin T is early elevated and persistently high level for more than 10 days. Comparing with total lactate dehydrogenase, total creatine kinase, LD1/LD2 ratio and CK-MB, troponin-T test improves the efficiency of serodiagnostic method for the detection of ischemic myocardial damage.
Chest Pain ; Creatine Kinase ; Early Diagnosis ; Humans ; Infarction ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase* ; Lactic Acid* ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Phosphotransferases* ; Troponin T* ; Troponin*

We measured fasting Serum Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (SACE) in 100 healthy controls and 75 coal worker's pneumoconiosis (CWP) patients by a commercial kits (ACEcolor®, Fujirio Inc., Japan) and evaluated this manual method. The linear range extends to an activity of 80U/L. Precision on a commercial control serum (ACE control-N®, Sigma Co.) with a mean value of 9.47U/L yielded a within-run and between-run CVs are 5.6% (N=15) and 6.9% (N=14) respectively. Save in 75 CWP was 20.3±5.7U/L (mean±s.d.); higher than in healthy controls (13.4±3.9U/L, P<0.01). No correlation was found between SACE, sex, and age. The results suggest that the measurement for SACE and follow-up SACE in coal workers may be a useful diagnostic tools for CWP.
Anthracosis* ; Coal* ; Fasting ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Methods

No abstract available.

Here, a case of a 59-year-old man with rotator cuff tear and impingement syndrome caused by an ossified coracoacromial ligament is presented. Ossification of the coracoacromial ligaments can occur because of degenerative changes due to trauma or repeated stress, which can lead to impingement syndrome. Therefore, when coracoacromial ligament ossification is present, rotator cuff damage due to impingement syndrome should be considered. Here, we conducted arthroscopic subacromial decompression, removal of the ossified coracoacromial ligament, and supraspinatus and subscapularis tendon repairs. We achieved satisfactory surgical outcomes without relapse; therefore, we report this case with a literature review.
Decompression ; Humans ; Ligaments* ; Middle Aged ; Recurrence ; Rotator Cuff ; Shoulder ; Shoulder Impingement Syndrome* ; Tears ; Tendons

In the method for lithium (Li) analysis, flame emission photometry and atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) have been used most frequently. In addition, lithium can be analyzed by ion-selective electrode (ISE) or fluorscence polarization immunoassay. We evaluated the comparison between AAS method based on the principle of absorption of light at 670.8 nm by Li and ISE method based on the principle of voliage difference generated by Li in contact with lithium ionophore. We compared with those obtained by AAS (AA/AE Spectrophotometer 551, Instrumentation Laboratory Co.) and ISE (SYNCHRON EL-ISE, Beckman Co.) in the serum and urine of 6 pati,,:nts- and evaluated time-related changes of serum lithium concentration after dosing in both methods. The results are summarized-as follows: 1. In within-run precision study for lithium concentration, coefficient variations (CVs, %) ranged from 1.34 to 2.17 for AAS and from 0.34 to 0.85 for ISE method. In between-run precision study for lithium concentration, CVs ranged from 1.23 to 1.72 for AAS and from 0.61 to 1.38 for ISE method. 2. The correlation study between AAS and ISE method resulted in Y= 0.946X+ 0.137 (N = 32, r= 0. 933, X= AAS, Y= ISE) for serum lithium and Y= 1. 092X+ 0. 977 (N= 28, r= 0.943, X= AAS, Y= ISE) for urine lithium. 3. Time-related changes of serum lithium concentration in both AAS and ISE method resulted in peak serum levels about 2 hours after dosing and then rapidly decreased after the peak serum level and finally arrived at nearly initial levels about 9 hours after dosing. 4. The reference range of serum lithium was found as undetectable level for both AAS and ISE method and the reference range of urine lithium to the urine creatinine was 0 0.00014 mmol/mg(mean 0.00002 mmol/mg) for AAS method.
Absorption ; Creatinine ; Immunoassay ; Ion-Selective Electrodes ; Lithium* ; Photometry ; Reference Values ; Spectrophotometry, Atomic ; Statistics as Topic

BACKGROUND: Elecsys 2010 immunoassay system is based on the electrochemiluminescence immunoassay using a ruthenium (II) tris (bipyridyl) label. Since it was the first time to use the system in our laboratory, we would like to evaluate the analytical performances (precision, linearity and recovery rate) and correlation with radioimmunoassay (RIA) and microparticle enzyme immunoassay (MEIA) methods. METHODS: We used precicontrol tumor marker (TM1, TM2) for alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), prostatic specific antigen (PSA) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), Precicontrol universal (Ul, U2) for triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4), Precicontrol-TSH for thyrotropin (TSH) and pooled serum for the evaluation of precision and recovery rate. Patients' sera were used for the linearity and comparison study. RESULTS: The coefficients of variatron of Imprecision study were below; 4.0%, 8.7% and 10.2%, respectively in the within-run, within-day and between-day analysis. The recovery rates were 100.5%, 96.1% and 102.5%, respectively in T4, TSH, and AFP. The linearity were y=1.02x-0.182(r=0.99) for T4, y=1.01x+0.12 (r=0.99) for TSH and y=1.01x+0.54(r=1.00) for AFP. T3, T4, TSH, CEA and PSA results showed good correlation with RIA (r>0.90), but AFP showed r=0.88. Also, AFP, CEA and PSA results showed excellent correlation with AxSYM (r>0.99). CONCLUSION: Elecsys 2010 immunoassay system showed excellent precision, recovery rate, clinically acceptable linearity and good correlation with the results obtained by RIA and MEIA methods.
alpha-Fetoproteins ; Carcinoembryonic Antigen ; Immunoassay* ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Radioimmunoassay ; Ruthenium ; Thyrotropin ; Thyroxine ; Triiodothyronine

Reviewing the results of the blood cultures performed at Yeungnam University Hospital during 4-year-period through January, 1, 1984 to December 31, 1987, the following results were obtained. 1) Out of 8083 blood specimens cultured microorganisms grew in 582 specimens with positivity rate of 7.20%. Polymicrobial bacteremia was found in 16 patients. 2) Among 582 positive specimens, Gram-positive cocci grew in 189 specimens, and Gram-negative bacilli, in 393 specimens. Clinically significant microorganisms consisted of 82 Staphylococcus aureus, and 20 Streptococcus species in Gram-positive cocci group, 80 Salmonella typhi, 72 Escherichia coli, 72 Salmonella paratyphi A in Enterobacteriaceae, and 46 Pseudomonas cepacia, and 16 Pseudomonas aeruginosa in glucose non-fermenting microorganisms. 3) Increasing incidence of Serratia, Acinetobacter and Pseudomonas species as major nosocomial infection source is noteworthy. They showed increased tendency from 6.3% of 1984 to 17.7% of 1987 of total positive blood cultures. 4) High isolation rate of Pseudomonas species and Aeromonas hydrophila was noted in summer, while Salmonella typhi showed high prevalence from May to September and in January. 5) In susceptibility tests of isolated organisms, staphylococcus aureus was sensitive to basic antimicrobial agents except for ampicillin. The glucose non-fermenting microorganisms showed high resistance to basic antimicrobial agents in 32.2%. In conclusion, considering the relatively higher incidence of growth of Staphylococcus epidermidis than ideal level indicates that sampling technique should be improved. Secondly, all the hospital staffs in cooperation with Hospital Infection Committee are desirable to pay efforts to decrease the nosocomial infection.
Acinetobacter ; Aeromonas hydrophila ; Ampicillin ; Anti-Infective Agents ; Bacteremia ; Burkholderia cepacia ; Cross Infection ; Enterobacteriaceae ; Escherichia coli ; Glucose ; Gram-Positive Cocci ; Humans ; Incidence ; Prevalence ; Pseudomonas ; Pseudomonas aeruginosa ; Salmonella paratyphi A ; Salmonella typhi ; Serratia ; Staphylococcus aureus ; Staphylococcus epidermidis ; Streptococcus

A study to evaluate the diagnostic significance of M. pneumoniae Infection by measurements of cold agglutinin and antimycoplasma antibody titers is performed with 191 pediatric patients who have visited Yeungnam University Hospital during the period through January to July, 1987. Forty eight of 191 cases made follow up tests feasible. The results obtained are as follows: 1. It is necessary to perform routine combined measurements of cold agglutinin and antimycoplasma antibody titers for the all pediatric pneumonia caser since a large proportion of pneumonia in children is caused by M. pneumonia. 2. For the diagnosis of M. pneumoniae Infection, measurements of cold agglutinin titer alone seems to be less significant than to check both cold agglutinin and antimycoplasma antibody titers. 3. The measurement of antimycoplasma antibody titer appeared to be more specific than cold agglutinin test in the diagnosis of M. pneumoniae Infection. 4. The present study urges the necessity of follow up study of cold agglutinin and antimycoplasma antibody titer for those who initially presented with normal titers in both tests, but are clinically suspected for M. pneumoniae Infection.
Child ; Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Mycoplasma pneumoniae* ; Mycoplasma* ; Pneumonia ; Pneumonia, Mycoplasma*

The ESR is one of the oldest laboratory test still in use. Although it lacks specificity in diagnosis, it can be effective for monitoring disease activity and following-up. The Westergren method is used for reference method, however coefficient of variation has been described 0.8% to 22.9% according to the literature. Since the ESR was invented in 1921, measurement technique has developed and automated measurement is introduced. We analyzed one hundred forty-three patient samples using SEDIsystem' automated ESR measuring system and compared with modified Westergren and Wintrobe methods. Comparison between SEDIsystem' and modified Westergren for ESR measurement yields the following regression equation; y = 0.863x - 1.69 (r=0.830), SEDIsystem'M and Wintrobe y'= 1.14x - 14.7 (r=0.789), rcspectively. We repeated measurement to evaluate reliability, results are not significant in statistically. In conclusion, SEDIsysten' automated ESR measurement correlated with modified Westergren and Wintro" ; methods, reveal reliable results after 4 hours and can report rapidly for large samples. Thus, these results indicate that SEDIsystenT"' automated ESR measurement may be useful tool for clinical practice.
Diagnosis ; Humans ; Sensitivity and Specificity